Method of producing wheels



J. A. ANGLADA. METHOD OF PRODUCING WHEELS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY I7. 1918.

Patnted Apr. 6-, 1920.

2 SHEETSSHEET l.

J. A. ANGLADA.

METHODOF PRODUCING WHEELS.

APPuc/mon FILED MAY 17. I918.

Patented Apr. 6, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Yunnan. sraaras oer-non.

JOSEIE; A. ANGLAIDA, OF PI-IILADELPHEA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO BAKERWHEEL '6; RIM COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLI-NOES.

METHOD OF PRODUCING WILEELS.

Application filed May -17,

dent of Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods ofProducing Wheels, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates generally to improvements in metallic wheels, andespecially methods of producing same, and is con-. cerned primarily withmotor vehicle wheels.

The general object of my invention is to provide a Inetallic'vehiclewheel which shall be light in weight yet strong, resilient, and durable.and better adapted to withstand service conditions than wheels ofsimilar size and weight heretofore devised.

A further object ofv my invention is to provide a method of producing ametallic vehicle wheel from sheet metal, in a simple, expeditious mannerat low cost ;and a particular object is to provide a method of producingmetallic vehicle wheels from sheet metal, substantially without waste ofmaterial.

My invention consists generally in a method of producing such wheels,whereby the above named. objects together with others which will appearhereinafter are attainable.

My invention also consists in the details of construction andcombination of parts hereinafter described and particularly pointed outin the claims.

My invention will be more readily understood by reference to theaccompanying drawings, which illust'ate wheels embodying my inventionand methods for producing same and which I consider the best at thepresent time.

In said drawings, Figure 1 depicts a portion of sheet metal stock fromwhich the wheel is formed ;F ig. 2 illustrates one of the steps in theproduction of the wheel Fig. 3 illustrates a-blank or element resultingfrom the operation depicted in Fig. 2; Fig. illustrates the blank ofFig. 3 formed to constitute a part of the wheel Fig. 5 is across-sectional view of the felly Specification of Letters Patent.

Pa tentee Apr. 6, 192%.

1918. Serial No. 235,115.

plet d wheel -Fig. 8 depicts a blank or member similar to Fig. 3, butwith the spoke portions staggered ;-.Fig. 9 is a cross-sectionalassembly illustrating the blank of Fig. 8, shaped and combined with thefelly band ;-and, Fig. 10 is a'face-view of the completed wheel of theform shown in Fig. 9.

I am aware that it has been proposed heretofore to manufacture metallicvehicle wheels from sheet metal, but in the methods heretoforeprevailing great wastage of material has resulted, due very largely tothe methods of manufacture which usually consisted in stamping orpressing the complete-1-v circular wheel. out of asquare sheet of metallarger than the projected area of the plane of the wheel. The wastageresulted not'only from the manufacture of a circular wheel, from asquare sheet of metal, but also in those types having spokes, from theremoval of considerable portions of metal between adjacent spokes. It isone of the objects of my invention to eliminate very .largely thisexpensive wastage of material and to provide a method whereby a metallicvehicle wheel can be produced from commercial sheet metal such, forexample, as hot or cold rolled steel, in a rapid and inexpenslve manner.

In practising my invention, I prefer instead of using a square sheet ofmetal to start with a sheet of elongated shape, the length of which willbe substantially equal to the circumference of the hub of the wheeldesired and of such width as to enable the production, simultaneously,of a plurality of blanks or members of a character suitable forproducing the -major portion of the wheel. In the present instance Imanufacture a plurality-of blanks from a single sheet of metal with the'spoke portions of the wheel blanks so relatively positioned as tointerfit and to permit cutting froin the sheet substantially withoutwastage.

Having now set up the general method of band which I use inmanufacturing the plurality of wheel blanks or elements can loa wheel;Fig. 6 is a sectional view illustrating the assembled wheel blank andfelly band;-Fig. 7 is a facev1ew of the combe produced; the thickness ofthe metal is such as is suitable for the particular type of wheel beingmanufactured and the character ot the metal will be determined verylargely by the service conditions to be imposed upon the wheel, torexample, it the wheel is tor' use on a large, heavy vehicle, the sheetmetal will be thicker than tor wheels used on the lightertype otpassenger vehicles, where mnumber of wheel blanks or elements, one

a cylinc er.

of which shown in Fig. 3, and designated by the numeral 9. The blank orelement, 9,

comprises a central portion, 10, and spaced tongue like projectingportions, 11.

Aswill be seen shortly, the portion 10, constitutes the hub of thewheel. and the portions, 11, constitute the spokes ot the wheel and forthis reason I shall reter hereinafter to the portion, 10, as the hubportion, and to portions, 11 as the spoke portions. The length ot thehub portion, 10, is .equal substantially tothat ot the circumterence otthe hub desired in the finished wheel, and the blank or element shown inFig. 3 is rolled or shap d so that the hub portion constitutes The endportions 12 and 13 ot the thus .cylindrically shaped hub portions willbe in end to end abutment and I preter to join them permanentlyas bymeans ot Welding. vThe spoke portions, 11, are bent upwardly oraway'trom the central cylindrical hub portion and in the instant caseare brought quite close together, providing a small intervening space, 11, between adjacent spokes (see Fig. 4t) 0t such size as to accommodatethe flange portion, 16, ot a telly band, 17 (see Figs. 5 and 6). Thetelly band, 17, is ot standard construction, designed to receive ademountable rim having for this purpose a co-acting conical side flange,18. It will, of course, be understood that a telly band of other ordesired torm may be used. The telly band is positioned,

.. as shown in Fig. 6, and the spoke portions,

11, are rigidly secured thereto by means of rivets, 19. While the spokeportions, 11, are shown as abutting the flange, 16, upon the sidenearest to the end portion ot the hub tronrwhich the spoke projects thespokes may, it desired, be secured upon the opposite 'bodying myinvention.

or tar-side ot the flange, and such construction will be shown anddescribed shortly, with a slightly modified torm of wheel em- Thecompleted wheel is well shown in Fig. 7 and it is thought that noturther detailed description thereof is necessary. By producing a wheelunder the method described, there is practically no waste'stock,inasmuch as the spoke portions of adjacent wheel blanks intertit.

In that form of my invention thus tar described, spoke portionsradiating from opposite ends of the hub are in alinement, so thatviewing the wheel in side elevation, as shown in Fig. 7, but halt ot theactual number of the spokes in the wheel are seen. In this torm thetelly band is supported .at only a relatively tew spaced points. Forsome purposes it may be desirable to stagger the spokes, 2". 6., toalternately distribute the spokes radially trom the opposite ends of thehub portions equallythroughout the circumterence ot the wheel, thussecuring in appearancea wheel more nearly resembling: a wire wheel, andalso distributing the points ot support more uniformly throughout thecircumference ot the telly band. I have disclosed such a wheel and amethod .tor producing same in Figs. 8, 9 and 10 ot the drawings, wherein30 represents the hub portion of a wheel blank; 31 the spoke portions,projecting trom one side thereot; and 32, the spoke portions,projectingtrom the opposite side. The respective spoke portions, 31 and 32, arestaggered, as shown, so that instead of an outer spoke being directlyopposite an inner spoke, as shown in Fig. 3, they are here staggered. Toenable cutting a plurality ot blanks trom a single sheet withoutwastage,.I also bevel or angle the end portions 33 and 34 ot the hub.The wheel blank thus described is tormed so that the hub constitutes acylinder ;end p'ortions, 33 and 34, being welded or otherwisepermanently joined and the spoke portions, 31 and 32, being bentupwardly or away trom the hub to form radiating spokes, shown in Figs. 9and 10. In this instance, the spoke portions are bent so that the ends,31 and 32, are on opposite sides ot the center line. A telly, 17, ot thesame construction described with reterence to the first torm ot theinvention is secured in place as by riveting or in any other suitablemanner. The completed wheel is well shown in Fig. 10, wherein thestaggered relation ot the spokes and the multiple point supports arewell shown.

The diiterence in appearance and construction ot the two types ot wheelscan be contrasted by viewing Figs. 7 and 10.

It. will be understood that these wheels are initially and permanentlytensioned. This I accomplish in the act of welding or riveting the endsof the spokes to the radial spokes can be easily accomplished and by.

atterward stretching or expanding the telly band, which act tensions thewheel as a whole, the stretching being carried to the point necessary togive the peripheral rim or band its correct circumferential measurement.a

It is thoughttrom this detailed-description that the objects, purposesand advantagcs of my invention will be at once apparent to those skilledin thewehicle Wheel art, solid middle portion and spokes extending butinasmuch as this disclosure will readily from opposite edges thereof,then rolling the suggest to others structures and methods "blank tocylindrical form and securing it in whereby the substantial objects andpurposes that condition, then. swaging or expanding 5 of my inventionWill be attained, I do not the ends of thesolid middle portion and thusWish to be limited to the specific construecausing the spoke portions toproject radition herein shown and described, or to the ally therefrom,thensecuring the spoke ends precise steps and sequence referred to intheto a peripheral metal member and finally method of manufacturing thewheel, except stretching or. expanding said member; to a only as may benecessary by limitations in predetermined circumferential dimension,

the hereunto appended claim. thereby tensioning the Wheel as a whole.

I claim In testimony whereof I have hereunto set The herein describedmethod of'making my hand this 7th day of May, 1918.

sheet metalwheels that consists in stamp- 5. ing from'sheet metal ablankv comprising a JOSEPH A. ANGLADA.

